Key Account Manager - Aerospace Defense

Henkel group • St. Louis, MO

5d • Remote

About The Position

At Henkel, you’ll be part of an organization that’s shaping the future through innovation, sustainability and collaboration. With our trusted brands like Persil®, ‘all®, Loctite®, Snuggle®, and Schwarzkopf® and our cutting-edge technologies, you’ll have countless opportunities to explore new paths and grow. This position is with our Adhesive Technologies business unit – where we empower our people to transform industries and provide our customers with a competitive advantage through adhesives, sealants and functional coatings. Dare to learn new skills, advance in your career and make an impact at Henkel.

Requirements

• Requires technical knowledge of aerospace-grade materials, their specifications and application, an understanding of quality and compliance requirements, and forecast management.
• Bachelor's degree in science or engineering, business, or related discipline required.
• Experience in a B2B sales Business Development or Account Management role, with a focus on value-add and solution selling required.
• 10+ years' experience in Aerospace Defense market.
• Demonstrated understanding of emerging defense technologies (UAS, autonomous systems, advanced materials).
• Familiar with government funded programs, including both development and production phase.
• Experience with structural adhesives, composite materials, electronics adhesives, and sealants required.
• Strong project management, presentation, and communication skills.
• Deep understanding of aerospace manufacturing and supply chain dynamics.
• Ability to balance customer needs with internal resource.
• Proficient in tools like SAP, Salesforce, Excel, etc.

Nice To Haves

• Strong passion for innovation and ability to translate evolving mission needs into strategic customer engagement and growth opportunities.
• Preference will be given to candidates that reside in the Mountain West region and/or the Southwest United States.
• Candidate must be located in proximity to a major airport.

Responsibilities

• Build and grow business relationships with high opportunity emerging defense and aerospace accounts.
• Implement new customer acquisition plans & develop customer-specific success metrics beyond revenue (e.g., innovation impact).
• Serve as the primary point of contact between Henkel and Customer across departments (procurement, engineering, quality, supply chain, etc.).
• Develop and build long-term strategic plan tailored to Customer’s business goals and production plan e.g. Defense platforms.
• Identify opportunities to expand the relationship through new product offerings, innovations, or process improvements.
• Act as an internal champion of Customer needs within the Henkel cross-functional organization, ensuring alignment and responsiveness.
• Build strong relationships with Customer stakeholders in supply chain, program, and engineering.
• Translate customer’s strategy and priorities into a joint innovation roadmap.
• Facilitate executive-level meetings and Business Reviews to maintain alignment.
• Effectively manage escalations, delivery issues, or quality concerns with professionalism and urgency.
• Manage On-Time Delivery & Quality Performance through KPI tracking and ensuring performance meets Customer’s needs.
• Oversee pricing agreements, long-term contracts (LTAs), and terms & condition negotiations.
• Use analytics and forecasting tools to anticipate customer needs and add strategic value.

Benefits

• Health Insurance: affordable plans for medical, dental, vision and wellbeing starting on day 1
• Work-Life Balance: Paid time off including sick, vacation, holiday and volunteer time, flexible & hybrid work policies (depending on role), and vacation buy / sell program
• Financial: 401k matching, employee share plan with voluntary investment and Henkel matching shares, annual performance bonus, service awards and student loan reimbursement
• Family Support: 12-week gender neutral parental leave (up to 20 weeks for parents giving birth), fertility support, adoption & surrogacy reimbursement, discounted child and elderly care, and scholarships
• Career Growth: diverse national and international growth opportunities, access to thousands of skills development courses, and tuition reimbursement

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior